Faithful America Misleadingly Attacked in Political Ad

Faithful America, an online community of more than 80,000 people of faith, yesterday became the subject of a political attack ad for speaking out against the abuses committed Abu Ghraib in 2004.

The misleading ad, which is running on southern Virginia television stations, refers to Faithful America as a “liberal group that ran ads on Arab TV apologizing for the actions of U.S. troops.” The attack does not mention that the Faithful America ads were a specific response to the abuses committed at Abu Ghraib, or that America’s political and military leaders similarly deplored and condemned the abuses of detainees at the Iraqi prison.

Faithful America mobilized around the tragic brutality at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 by raising money from its grassroots network to place an advertisement on Arabic-language satellite television expressing sorrow for the abuse. The ad said:

As Americans of faith, we express our deep sorrow at abuses committed in Iraqi prisons,â€ the ad stated. “We stand in solidarity with all those in Iraq and everywhere who demand justice and human dignity. We condemn the sinful and systemic abuses committed in our name, and pledge to work to right these wrongs.

We stand by Faithful America’s response to Abu Ghraib, and we’re circulating a petition calling for this distortive and offensive ad to be taken down. It doesn’t belong on the airwaves in the 5th District or anywhere else.